The bottom line is clear: Our vital interests in Afghanistan are limited and military victory is not the key to achieving them. On the contrary, waging a lengthy counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan may well do more to aid Taliban recruiting than to dismantle the group, help spread conflict further into Pakistan, unify radical groups that might otherwise be quarreling amongst themselves, threaten the long-term health of the U.S. economy, and prevent the U.S. government from turning its full attention to other pressing problems. -- Afghanistan Study Group

Monday, October 24, 2011

The DoD is reporting the deaths of three soldiers which has previously been unreported by the military. The soldiers died from an IED attack in Kandahar province, Afghanistan on Saturday, October 22nd.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, October 22nd.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, October 23rd.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, October 23rd. News reports that a Polish soldier was killed in a roadside bombing in Ghazni province and a second soldier was wounded in the attack.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Monday, October 24th.

Review slams US training of Iraqi police -- U.S. State Department program to train Iraqi police lacks focus, could become a "bottomless pit" of American money and may not even be wanted by the Iraqi department it's supposed to help, reports released Monday by a U.S. government watchdog show.

Baghdad:
#1: A roadside bomb went off near a traffic police vehicle, wounding two policemen in Baghdad's central Nahdha area, an Interior Ministry source said.

At least 4 persons, including 2 policemen, have been injured in an explosive charge blast in central Baghdad on Sunday, a Baghdad security source reported. "An explosive charge blew up on Sunday morning in central Baghdad's al-Nahda district, wounding 2 policemen and 2 civilians, and causing damage to a number of cars close to the venue of the blast," the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

An Iraqi Oil Ministry media official has been injured and his driver was killed in an explosive charge blast under their car south of Baghdad on Sunday, a security source reported. "An explosive charge blew off on Sunday against a car, carrying an Oil Ministry media official in southwest Baghdad's Saidiya district, injuring the official and killing his driver, along with causing severe damage to the car," the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#4: He said a clash took place between traffic policemen and unknown armed men close to Sarrafiya bridge in central Baghdad, killing 2 civilians and 2 traffic policemen, along with injuring 6 others, including 4 traffic policemen and 2 civilians.

#5: "Another explosion took place against a traffic policemen in al-Nahda area in central Baghdad, injuring 4 civilians and 2 traffic policemen, who were drive to a nearby hospital for treatment," he added.

#6: In another incident, an explosive charge blew up targeting a traffic policemen in west Baghdad's Iskan district, killing a civilian and wounding 3 others, whilst a suicide bomber, driving a booby-trapped car, attacked a group of citizens at the same place of the said blast, but it blew off before his arrival to the area, raising the number of injured people to seven, he concluded.

#7: A number of persons have been killed or injured in a Katyusha rocket attack targeting the headquarters of the Baghdad Police Academy on Monday, a security source reported. "A number of Katyusha rockets fell on Monday afternoon on the headquarters of the Police Academy, close to the Interior Ministry building east of Baghdad, killing and wounding several people," the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Mussayab:
#1: A roadside bomb went off late on Saturday and wounded three people in the town of Mussayab, about 60 km (40 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

Jurf al Sakhar:
#1: Gunmen in a car opened fire in a market and killed one man and wounded one woman late on Saturday in the town of Jurf al-Sakhar, about 60 km (40 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

Tikrit:
#1: Gunmen in a car opened fire and killed a teacher and his daughter late on Saturday in a village near Tikrit, 150 km (95 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Mosul:
#1: Gunmen shot dead an off-duty Nineveh province police official, Brigadier General Mahmoud Abdullah, in his car in front of his house in northern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, a Nineveh police source said.

#2: Gunmen opened fire on two women in western Mosul, killing one and wounding the other, a Nineveh police source said.

#3: A civilian was wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in northern Mosul, a Nineveh police source said.

#4: Gunmen threw a hand grenade at a police patrol and wounded three policemen in western Mosul, police said.

Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: An assassination attempt on Afghanistan's interior minister failed when a suicide bomber was shot dead by body guards Sunday, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. Interior Minister Bismullah Khan was not wounded during when his convoy was targeted, said spokesman Sediq Seddiqi. The minister was targeted in Parwan province, located north of Kabul, he said.

#2: According to local authorities in western Afghanistan, at least two Afghan police officers were killed following a roadside bomb explosion in western Herat province. The officials further added, the incident took place on Sunday evening in Shindand district. Provincial governor spokesman for Herat province Moeuddin Noori confirming the incident said, at least two police officers were killed following a roadside bomb explosion while they were patrolling in the area.

#3: In a separate incident at least three Afghan police forces were injured following a roadside bomb explosion in eastern Nangarhar province. According to local officials, the incident took place around 9 am early Monday morning near a police check post in this province.

#4: One insurgent was killed by Afghan National Police and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces during a joint operation on Monday in search of a Taliban leader in Helmand province, south-west of Kabul, the coalition said in a statement. Two insurgents were detained.

#5: Several insurgents were killed during a joint airstrike by the Afghan National Police and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the Paktiya province, south of Kabul, the coalition said in a statement.

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24 October 2011KABUL — Hundreds of Afghans took to the streets in Kabul on Monday, shouting “death to America” in an angry protest urging the government not to sign a strategic partnership with the United States.

The demonstrators, many wearing turbans and carrying placards, took to the streets in the western part of the city, chanting anti-US slogans and carrying banners demanding that all 130,000 foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

“We are here to say no to the strategic partnership with the US and the establishment of foreign military bases in Afghanistan,” one protester, Waheedullah, told AFP.